# std::chrono::time_point

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< cpp‎ | chrono

Defined in header `<chrono>` |  |
template< class Clock, class Duration = typename Clock::duration > class time_point; |  | (since C++11)

Class template `std::chrono::time_point` represents a point in time. It is implemented as if it stores a value of type `Duration` indicating the time interval from the start of the `Clock`'s epoch.

`Clock` must meet the requirements for Clock or be std::chrono::local_t(since C++20). | (until C++23)

### Member types

Member type | Definition
`clock` | `Clock`, the clock on which this time point is measured
`duration` | `Duration`, a std::chrono::duration type used to measure the time since epoch
`rep` | `Rep`, an arithmetic type representing the number of ticks of the duration
`period` | `Period`, a std::ratio type representing the tick period of the duration

### Member functions

(constructor) | constructs a new time point (public member function)
time_since_epoch | returns the time point as duration since the start of its clock (public member function)
operator+=operator-= | modifies the time point by the given duration (public member function)
operator++operator++(int)operator--operator--(int) (C++20) | increments or decrements the duration (public member function)
min [static] | returns the time point corresponding to the smallest duration (public static member function)
max [static] | returns the time point corresponding to the largest duration (public static member function)

### Non-member functions

operator+operator- (C++11) | performs add and subtract operations involving a time point (function template)
operator==operator!=operator<operator<=operator>operator>=operator<=> (C++11)(C++11)(removed in C++20)(C++11)(C++11)(C++11)(C++11)(C++20) | compares two time points (function template)
time_point_cast (C++11) | converts a time point to another time point on the same clock, with a different duration (function template)
floor(std::chrono::time_point) (C++17) | converts a time_point to another, rounding down (function template)
ceil(std::chrono::time_point) (C++17) | converts a time_point to another, rounding up (function template)
round(std::chrono::time_point) (C++17) | converts a time_point to another, rounding to nearest, ties to even (function template)

### Helper classes

std::common_type<std::chrono::time_point> (C++11) | specializes the std::common_type trait (class template specialization)
std::hash<std::chrono::time_point> (C++26) | hash support for `std::chrono::time_point` (class template specialization)

### Example

Run this code

    #include <algorithm>
    #include <chrono>
    #include <ctime>
    #include <iomanip>
    #include <iostream>

    void slow_motion()
    {
        static int a[]{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12};
        // Generate Γ(13) == 12! permutations:
        while (std::ranges::next_permutation(a).found) {}
    }

    int main()
    {
        using namespace std::literals; // enables literal suffixes, e.g. 24h, 1ms, 1s.

        const std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::system_clock> now =
            std::chrono::system_clock::now();

        const std::time_t t_c = std::chrono::system_clock::to_time_t(now - 24h);
        std::cout << "24 hours ago, the time was "
                  << std::put_time(std::localtime(&t_c), "%F %T.\n") << std::flush;

        const std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::steady_clock> start =
            std::chrono::steady_clock::now();

        std::cout << "Different clocks are not comparable: \n"
                     "  System time: " << now.time_since_epoch() << "\n"
                     "  Steady time: " << start.time_since_epoch() << '\n';

        slow_motion();

        const auto end = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
        std::cout
            << "Slow calculations took "
            << std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::microseconds>(end - start) << " ≈ "
            << (end - start) / 1ms << "ms ≈ " // almost equivalent form of the above, but
            << (end - start) / 1s << "s.\n";  // using milliseconds and seconds accordingly
    }

Possible output:

    24 hours ago, the time was 2021-02-15 18:28:52.
    Different clocks are not comparable:
      System time: 1666497022681282572ns
      Steady time: 413668317434475ns
    Slow calculations took 2090448µs ≈ 2090ms ≈ 2s.

### See also

duration (C++11) | a time interval (class template)
year_month_day (C++20) | represents a specific `year`, `month`, and `day` (class)

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